Unwritten Letter to the Queen of his Heart
by iheartBL
Summary: It was so different from the emotions coating the sentences of her letter to her high school crush. There was no sadness, no hiding behind pretenses...Oliver finds the letter Chloe wrote to Clark when she was 15.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: My friend, Amber, challenged me to include as many of the Chlollie mementos? as I could. ie: The queen chess piece, the roses from Valentine's Day, the satellite, the spoon from McDougal Inn, and the green leather jacket. Did I miss something?

Anyhow, I wrote this before the piece about Chloe's green leather jacket, so sorry if that portion seems a bit repetitious.

Disclaimer: I have come to understand that I could never afford to own Smallville or DC comics, so not even gonna try.

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Unwritten Letter to the Queen of his Heart

_I want to let you in on a little secret, Clark. I'm not who you think I am. In fact, my disguise is so thin, I'm surprised you haven't seen right through me. I'm the girl of your dreams masquerading as your best friend. Sometimes I want to rip off this façade like I did at the Spring Formal, but I can't because you'll get scared and run away again. So I decided that it's better to live with the lie than expose my true feelings. My dad told me there are two types of girls: the ones you grow out of, and the ones you grow into. I really hope I'm the latter. I may not be the one you love today, but I'll let you go for now, hoping one day you'll fly back to me. Because I think you're worth the wait._

His brown orbs drifted from the wrinkled sheet of paper and towards the petite blonde who had written this letter many years ago. The scars of her unrequited love may have healed over a thousand super saves ago, but he still couldn't help the melancholy and sympathy that arose when he read over her thoughts. There was something tragically beautiful about unrequited love. There was something tragically beautiful about this letter. Chloe really had a way with words. Her eloquence drew in the reader so much that the emotions clinging to her sentences became palpable. No wonder she was initially drawn towards a profession where writing was a necessity; a required skill.

Of course, her love was no longer one sided and no longer was her heart reserved just for Clark. Instead, he was left with the mere label of a best friend, a best friend that was somehow different from the role Oliver occupied. Chloe Sullivan had stationed Clark Kent as more of an older brother figure.

Oliver slipped his free hand into the pocket of his trousers, fingering the item within, just as Chloe turned in his direction. She sent him a tiny smile, setting down the jar of sugar upon the countertop with a light clang. She must have felt the presence of his lingering eyes. After all, they had failed to drift from her profile. But that was beside the point. Her smile had him intrigued. It was so different from the emotions coating the sentences of her letter to her high school crush. There was no sadness, no hiding behind pretenses. Instead, the smile she gave him was one of pure love.

Chloe didn't hold his gaze for long. The smile didn't last long either. Instead, her curiosity caught sight of the item that held his original attention. The letter. Her letter. Not his. Oliver swallowed; dropping the item he had been squeezing in the confines of his pocket and hastily tucking the letter from her sight.

"What do you got there, Romeo?" she asked with blatant curiosity.

"Uh…nothing," he lied, crumpling the letter into a ball with his arms tucked behind him. He sent her an awkward smile, his cheeks taking on a rosy tincture.

Chloe shrugged off the oddity of his behavior, even if she had been experiencing it over the past few days. There were moments when he would reach into the pocket of his pants, or the pockets of his blazer, and then come out with nothing. It was almost as if he was going to…Mentally, she shook her head. That was just not a possibility, and no way would she even allow her brain to go there. She was sure it would pass, whatever it was that was plaguing his mind.

A short yawn flew from her lips as she shoved a spoon into the foaming ceramic mug placed before her. She paused a moment, covering her mouth with her hand, before stirring the steaming beverage while Oliver's gaze drifted to the windows of the Talon Apartment.

Just beyond the glassy walls, Smallville was under the spell of a light drizzle, the droplets of which clung to the windows like a string of translucent pearls. He wondered if Metropolis was under the same spell. He didn't ponder over the thoughts of the weather much longer, not when the elegantly crafted handle of the spoon in Chloe's coffee mug stole his attention. Oliver frowned. "Chloe!" he shrieked, forgetting about the letter he had initially been reading-or was it prying?

"What?" she asked, sounding annoyed. His sudden outburst had caused her caffeine-rich beverage to spill over. With a sigh, she grabbed a napkin, instantly dabbing away at the mess. At least, most of her freshly brewed coffee remained within the confines of her favorite yellow mug, the one adorning Clark's family crest-his Kryptonian family crest.

"That spoon is a collector's item," he stated, walking towards her, and liberating the silverware from its current environment.

Chloe's frown only deepened. "Ollie, it's just a spoon."

He snorted. That so called just-a-spoon was a part of their relationship. However, he instead went with, "Yeah, well, how many of your spoons say McDougal Inn on them?" As predicted, she sent him playful roll of the eyes. Still, it was sweet of her to take the so called collector's item from his hand and wipe away any excess coffee with a napkin.

"I'll find a special place for this." Her green orbs drifted over the clock tacked against the wall. She had a meeting with a group of clients at the Isis Foundation in a couple of hours, and one she was not looking forward to. Raging teenage hormones were enough to induce a headache, and adding meteor powered abilities to mix made the situation even less appealing. "Oh, Ollie, you've got a board meeting in fifteen, you better go."

His eyes drifted from the clock and back to her. "There is no way I'm going to make it to Metropolis in fifteen minutes."

"Your alter ego should be telling you that nothing is impossible," Chloe pointed out, grabbing another spoon from the drawer and dropping it into her ceramic mug, "Besides, give me a minute and I can have your newest employee have you in that board room before you can say the word, Impulse."

The taller blonde chuckled before lifting the tie hanging around his neck like a scarf. "What was I thinking when I hired him?"

"That he needed a stable job, one that would keep him under the radar, but God help you."

"Bart's not so bad. He's only an intern. How much trouble could he possibly cause?"

Chloe laughed, lifting her mug towards her lips. Oliver knew exactly how much trouble Bart could be. She'd love to watch the entire situation play out. If she was lucky enough to finish with her clients earlier than planned, then she could speed over to Watchtower and do a little spying on Queen Industries. She did have her own personal satellite after all.

Chloe set down her mug after taking a small sip because it looked as if Oliver was getting no where fast with the tie. Grabbing the accessory from him, she successfully began knotting the item. "Through the course of life, how many times have you had to do this on your own?"

"More times than I can count," he answered, gazing at her with a mock-grin.

She shook her head, running her hand down the length of his tie to smooth out any kinks. "Now you look more like the head of the company your father bestowed upon you." She smiled satisfactorily as she brought her hand to his cheek.

"And to think all I ever wanted to do was look like Oliver Queen," he chuckled, slipping an arm around her waist. He felt her stand on the tip of her toes before leaning close to peck his lips.

"Now I've really got to make that call to Bart." She slipped from his hold, grabbing her cup of coffee in the process as she made her way towards the desk where her cell phone lay. Picking it up, she turned in Oliver's direction. "Thanks for staying with me, by the way. It gets lonely without Lois."

He had to smile at her innocence. Shaking his head, he said, "I can imagine why, with the way Lois talks…"

"Without a breath," Chloe interjected.

"…Without a breath," Oliver repeated, "…it's bound to get spooky with all the silence." Although next time she was staying at his penthouse; he couldn't have any more close calls with meetings. The board members' patience made snails look fast.

"Well, I'm sure the General is enjoying her company. It was long overdue anyhow."

"So is the old man going to make it down for the big day?"

"Please," Chloe began, pausing to take another sip of her favorite beverage, "he wouldn't miss it for the world."

"And how about the younger Miss. Lane?"

Before Chloe could tell Oliver about Lucy, the doorknob rattled, indicating that Bart had arrived.

"I'm here, Boss Man," his voice muffled through the door.

"Duty calls," Chloe stated with a sigh, "Knock em dead, Mr. Queen."

He walked towards her, grabbing the green leather jacket that was strewn across a chair in the process. He always did think green suited her rather well. For one thing, it enticed the green of her irises. Therefore, when her birthday rolled around-the one where Zatanna meddled-he knew that this particular article of clothing would make for the perfect gift. And it had to have been, she'd worn it since. He couldn't recall catching her with _Tales of the Weird and Unexplained_ often.

"Good luck to you as well, Miss. Sullivan," he stated, dropping the jacket in her arms as he leaned towards her.

She smiled against his lips before pulling away. "Plans for dinner?"

"I was thinking Tai food and a movie?"

"Sounds perfect," she stated before responding to another kiss. The door rattled again, their lips just millimeters from one another. Honestly, Chloe had forgotten all about Bart.

"Yo, Boss Man, let me in. I have to see Licious before I head off to Snoozeville."

Chloe chuckled. Oliver looked rather annoyed.

"I guess I should go," he said, turning the handle with a bit of force.

Chloe watched him slip through the door and shut it behind him, never giving Bart the chance to even catch a glimpse of her. She chuckled as Bart's disappointed voice carried through the door.

"That is so unfair!"

"She's my girlfriend!"

"…but…"

She didn't catch the rest of his sentence; the whoosh of air informed her that the two had left. Chloe shook her head. She could always count on Bart or Oliver to make her laugh. Her eyes fell to the green jacket in her arms. Who would have thought that Oliver's gift, back when they were nothing more than mutual friends, would have become one of her favorite articles of clothing?

She slipped the jacket over her coral colored top and was just about to grab today's mail when something else caught her attention. So this was the reason behind Oliver acting so secretive, Chloe thought as she bent down and picked the crumbled ball of paper off the floor. She unraveled the lavender sheet, her eyes glossing over the words. She remembered reading this letter to Clark. She remembered how heartbroken she was when he uttered Lana's name instead of hers, and she remembered when Jimmy found it.

After showing the letter to Clark, he'd crumpled it, but she fished it out of the waste paper basket. Part of her wanted to hold on to this piece of history. She had moved on, but for some reason, she wanted the reminder of how stupid she'd been to think that Clark could ever love her in more than a familial sense. He was her best friend, heck, he was like her brother, and as far as she was concerned, that line was never going to blur into something else, and she was 100 percent okay with that.

But why had Oliver bothered to read it? He knew where she stood with Clark. He was nothing more than her first love, albeit unrequited. Oliver, however, was her love, now, and forever, so he had no reason to worry.

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A/N: This fic will be presented in 3 or 4 chapters, and I'll update as soon as I can, so tell me what you guys thought!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed, I really do appreciate it, and it really does compel me to keep writing.

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Her head was pounding as if an elephant had positioned itself atop her tresses of blonde and had chosen to remain seated there. The patter of droplets beating against the nylon fabric of her umbrella wasn't helping her throbbing brain either. She had just finished a meeting with a few meteor infected teens at the Isis Foundation, one which nearly got out of hand due to an argument that had nearly ended in a fight; a fight with abilities…not fun.

Metropolis was under a silver canvas when she'd arrived, and it only looked as if the rain had picked up. She was just about to pass Cameo Jewelers when her cell phone went off. Halting before the store, the pitter-patter rhythm of today's shower growing louder, Chloe dug her hand into the pocket of her jeans and pulled out her trusty orange phone. Pressing the green button, she brought to her ear. "Lois, just the distraction I needed." There was a pause on the other end, and Chloe was pretty sure Lois was analyzing her choice of words.

"…Sure about that? I'm not exactly blonde and green."

Chuckling, Chloe continued, "Well, you did put thoughts about my pounding head aside."

"…Doesn't the fact that you brought up your headache remind you of your headache?"

Frowning, Chloe said, "Okay, headache back. What can I help you with?"

Lois's end paused again, although for a shorter length of time. "I just got off the phone with Lucy…"

"Uh-oh," Chloe interrupted, picking up her steps once more, "Lucy still mad that you picked me as your Maid of Honor instead of her?" Despite the fact that Chloe couldn't see her tall brunette cousin, she still could picture her as she nodded. A bitter laugh followed as Lois's voice once more filled her ear.

"She's mad at you too."

"But I didn't even…" Chloe began, pulling the phone from her ear as she rubbed her temple. She shook her head. Lucy was pretty impossible. No wonder Lois had always been her favorite cousin. "I'll call you later, Lois, my headache is verging on skull cracking mode."

"That bad, huh? Just take a few aspirin, and you'll be back to your information overload self in no time. Lucy's still coming to the wedding, wouldn't miss it for a chance to flaunt her stylish self-her words not mine…"

"I only ever take one," Chloe pouted, referring to her level of dosage.

"Whatever, Chloe, take care of yourself and that migraine."

"It's not a migraine."

"Whatever. General's calling me, I gotta go. Love you."

"Bye, Lois." Chloe smiled after pressing the button that would end the connection between them. Her cousin would be back in a couple of days, but until then, she had Clark and Oliver to keep her company. And Bart. With his latest job, he'd be around more often, until it was time to go on another Justice League mission that is.

She smiled to herself, wondering how Oliver's meeting had gone with the presence of Insatiable-Hunger-and-Faster-than-the-Speed-of-Light-Bart-Allen. She could hail a cab and head over to Watchtower, but her pounding head was making a nap sound much more appealing. Just as she was about to pocket her phone, it pinged, alerting her of a text-message. As she pressed the button to read the message, a smile creased onto her lips as she caught sight of the name: Oliver.

_Survived…Hooray…with minor injuries. Smell like coffee thanks to Bart!_

Chloe chuckled as she read over what he'd sent her. So Bart had managed to do some damage after all. In fact, she could picture him passing out coffees, accidentally knocking over a few cups in the process, and thus soiling spread sheets and legal pads. Oliver's face would be full of displeasure, even anger. Then, Bart would use his super speed to clean the mess, ticking off Oliver even further, while the other board members were left flabbergasted. Too bad she hadn't seen the scenario play out, but at this point, she wanted nothing more than to crawl onto the comfy couch back at the Talon with a cup of cocoa and a possible nap. Naptime, children may have loathed it, but she appreciated that concept in full. Tapping the buttons, she quickly typed out a reply and hit send.

_Chloe Sullivan likes the smell of coffee ;)_

But when Chloe looked up from her phone, she noticed that the bustling streets and crowded sidewalks of Metropolis had vanished. Instead, she was left with a stretch of green pasture decorated with hedges of stone and hints of color providing a taint of cheer to all its surrounding gloom. She tucked her cell into the pocket of her jeans, her eyes glossing over the still life before her…still life that was dead on-almost. Her stomach twisted unpleasantly, the sudden desiccation of her throat making the lodged metaphorical lump all the more unbearable. She could feel the fear taking over; she could feel the trepidation creeping to the surface from the hidden depths of her soul. She had worked so hard to bury those feelings. So hard. One wrong turn and fear had slapped her in the face.

Her fingers felt clammy around the handle of her umbrella. Her eyes stung from the tears pounding behind them. Her headache was seething, and the air to her lungs was receding. Chloe still couldn't fathom when she was able to get her legs to move, but somehow she had made it here. Here, to this particular grave marker. Jimmy Olsen, her husband once upon a time. They were adorable together-Lois's words. He was her one ticket to normalcy. Of course, she'd painfully learned that normal was never her destiny. Chloe's Wall of Weird was meant to be closer to home than she'd originally thought. The strange was her life. The unexplained had become so clear cut that it felt more normal than anything humanly possible.

Chloe fidgeted uncomfortably. How was this situation supposed to play out? She was terrible really. She didn't even have flowers to decorate his grave, although whoever had visited last had. Her eyes fell to the orangey-red flowers…Tulips, her favorite. Jimmy knew that. It was as if he was inadvertently taunting her. There was so much she wanted to say, but when she opened her mouth, no words flew free. He wasn't her one. She never loved him like she thought she did, but she still lead him on. Heck, she thought she could love him like he loved her, but she was wrong. She was terribly wrong. She was wrong about everything. How could she have thought that Davis Bloome could have an ounce of humanity? She wanted so badly to believe there was good in him, but at a cost. He made Jimmy look like a fool, and she bought his every lie.

In the end, Davis murdered Jimmy in cold blood, just as they had patched up their relationship. Jimmy died protecting her. There were moments she thought they could have worked. He eventually found out Clark's secret. But it was a pointless thought. Fate had never been rooting for _Chimmy_. "I'm sorry," she mumbled through glassy orbs. She didn't comprehend when she had found her voice. Exhaustion took over, she felt her knees buckle, and she collapsed right in front of his grave. Her shoulders shook uncontrollably as the tears poured out, becoming indistinguishable from the droplets dispensing from overhead within seconds. "It was all my fault, Jimmy, I'm sorry…"

She was playing the blame game again. Something Oliver had tried to coax her out of doing. It wasn't her fault. It wasn't any of their faults. They all had failed to trust each other. The entire team was to blame, together. Of course the times she did discuss the Jimmy/Davis fiasco were rare…

She wiped her eyes at the sound of the ring tone. The sound had frightened her, piercing her ears when it was so eerily quiet here. With shaky fingers, she managed to pull out her phone and press the button without caring to see who had called her.

"Chloe…"

She paused, giving herself a moment to recuperate, but it was a moment too long.

"Chloe…"

Oliver's voice rung against her ear again, sounding a tad worried.

"Oliver…" her voice was hoarse, but she hoped Oliver didn't realize that something off. She prayed he didn't recognize that something was off.

"You okay…"

"…I'm fine…"

"I'm at Watchtower," he told her a bit hesitantly, "our dinner plan…"

Dinner plans. She had almost forgotten. What was the time anyhow? It was hard to tell when the sky looked so dismal. "I'll be there soon." Without waiting for a reply, she ended the call, which probably wasn't the wisest thing to do. If he was worried, he'd pull out his Green Arrow gear and have Clark tow him over here within seconds. But he didn't know where she was, did he? She wouldn't put it past him to find her. She stood up, which seemed to take longer than necessary, and forced herself back towards the crowded section of Metropolis. She had to get to Watchtower.

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A/N: Okay, this chapter made me just about give up on this story. I found it so frustrating to write, but eventually I was able to finish it. But I really hope you guys enjoyed it, so let me know what your thoughts were, even if they aren't positive.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Long time no update, but I'm on FF posting fire :D…Enjoy the latest chapter :)

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He eyed her with suspicion. Her jeans were stained with mud and green smudge marks. Her shoulder length blonde hair was wet and stringy, which should not have been the case because he'd seen her with a blow dryer this morning. Her pallid complexion appeared paler than usual. And her eyes were pink and puffy, almost as if she had been… "What happened to you?"

She meant to grip her umbrella tighter, but realized at that moment that she no longer had it. She must have dropped it at the cemetery. Chloe's eyes wandered across the space. There was the lingering aroma of Tai food she had failed to notice initially. "I…uh…I fell." She threw in a smile, but if her shaky voice hadn't been indication enough that she was lying, the smile surely would.

"You're soaking wet."

She nodded. "I could use some cocoa."

"Chloe..."

"Ollie, don't…" she whimpered, holding up her hand, asking him to remain where he was. She couldn't take sympathy at this moment. She'd break down all over again.

"Hot chocolate, right…" His words trailed off as he disappeared towards the kitchen.

Clearly, this wasn't the evening he'd planned for them. Chloe bit her lip, she almost felt guilty. There was a lot of guilt going around today. She could see the takeout boxes on the table, the Blu-Ray movie she had wanted to see, but didn't have time to catch on the Big Screen. Oliver was an awesome boyfriend. She loved their Tai food movie days, and he knew that.

Entranced by the scene before her, Chloe walked over to the table, her shin coming into contact with the wood. She cursed under her breath, bending down to grab the fallen object. Her fingers came into contact with…velvet?

"Oliver, what's this?" she asked shakily, picking up the small velvet black box and holding it towards him.

Oliver shucked in a breath. This wasn't going the way he planned. They were supposed to settle upon the couch comfortably, and when the movie would start rolling, he'd take her hand and tell her that if they were still doing exactly this many years from now, then he was good. However, nothing ever seemed to go according to plan when it came to them. They were supposed to be a no strings attached nameless relationship. They weren't supposed to be anything, yet they were something, and to him, they were everything.

He took the box from her clammy fingers. He had a whole speech planned, the inspiration, her letter to Clark, but it was too late for that. So he bent down on one knee and decided to wing it.

If Chloe was scared before, she was terrified now. She saw it then. He was bending down-or was in the process of it. Her eyes grew wide as the stinging sensation returned. She'd seen this scenario before, she'd lived it, and it came rushing back to her with full force. Jimmy…the ring from the hospital gift shop…how he popped the question before she was whisked away, not even having the chance to answer…It returned full circle, the memory, and so did everything that followed…

The downward spiral…Her head was spinning. Oliver couldn't possibly…She squeezed her eyes shut. The fear took over. This is why she didn't want any attachments. This was why she had closed herself off. This, this scenario, defied that rule by miles. "Oliver…" Her voice was so hollow. She began retreating, tucking her shaking hands behind her. "Oliver…" People usually left her. People _always_ left her. She couldn't be his purpose. She couldn't…

Chloe swallowed. "You know I have a tendency to lock lips with people when I think the world is going to end…"

The tall blonde paused, bent in mid-air. He looked up at her, catching the fear clouding her eyes. She was down right frightened of what could have been. Maybe it was too soon. Chloe looked spooked. Clark was right; he did have a tendency to rush into things without much thought. She looked so unlike Chloe. But this…this felt so right. Couldn't Chloe let go of the past and just accept this? He'd keep her safe. He'd protect her heart. "But you've never told any of them that you were irrevocably in love with them."

He was good. He was very good. She let out a bitter chuckle, but it came out more like a sob.

Oliver stood back up and pulled her into his arms. "I'm sorry," he whispered, wrapping his arms around her tightly, securely, as if protecting her from what could have been.

He told her she was strong, stronger than she let on, and he helped her believe it. She clutched onto his button down, taking comfort in his scent, and the way his chin felt pressed atop her head. For a moment, they didn't move. She couldn't even fathom what he might have been thinking, but she knew of the thoughts running rampant across her brain. So she told him…

She told him everything. She told about her unintentional visit to Jimmy's grave, about how at first she couldn't think of anything to say, but then she had spilled everything. She had told him everything that had happened since his death, and about how Oliver had helped her through all of it.

Chloe was sobbing now. She wasn't even sure if her words were coherent, but she kept going. She told him how she had closed herself off, and how Oliver had helped her open up. She told him she had started falling for him, and how she was afraid of it. She couldn't take another broken heart. She couldn't take another person being ripped from her life. She kept him at arms length, until she couldn't deny it any longer. She had become his purpose…and somewhere down the line, he had become hers…

Oliver pulled her away from him, staring into her eyes as if trying to read her. He had tried to get her to open up about Jimmy before, but she almost always swept the conversation under the rug. He should have known that one day all those locked up emotions would come pouring out. He knew she'd burst, and here she was, staring at him through puffy eyes, clinging to him as if for dear life.

Her gazed deepened, piercing through his pools of brown, when Chloe uttered the words that caught both of guard. "Marry me." Oliver continued to stare back, unsure of her words, so Chloe repeated it. "Marry me."

"Chloe…" He dropped his hands from around her biceps.

Her eyes fell to the velvet box still encased in his hands. "I know you have the ring, just do it, please."

"I'm not going into this for all the wrong reasons."

"And you think I'm willing to make another mistake in my life?" She interrupted, her voice raising a notch. "I know what I'm doing, and as much as I've tried to deny it," she sighed, her eyes once more finding his, "you're still the one I wanna spend forever with. So please, just pull out that ring and slip it on my finger."

This time, he let her have the upper hand-this time. Pulling the velvet box open, he bent down traditionally. If he didn't, he was sure Chloe would've taken matters into her own hand. Gazing up at her with his patented grin, he said, "Thanks for ruining the moment, Sidekick." And right as thought, she rolled her eyes. Chuckling, Oliver pulled the ring from the box and slid it up her finger. There was no point in asking, she'd made it pretty clear already. "So how about that Tai food and movie, Mrs. Queen?" he asked as he stood up.

Chloe frowned as he pulled her towards him. "Sullivan-Queen," she corrected.

He knew she'd blow into a full rant about the necessity of keeping her maiden name, so he leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers. Pulling away slowly, he said, "Shh…"

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A/N: That leaves one more chapter, an epilogue-call it if you will…Leave me some lovely reviews *looks hopeful*


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